Savanna trustees OK site lease

Without discussion, Savanna School District trustees approved a lease of the Mary Perez School site to the city of Stanton Tuesday night, the last legislative step in the process to open a golf practice center on the property. The idea has been in the works for about IV2 years. The Stanton City Council approved the lease in a meeting last month. The city will lease the site, at 10660 Western Ave., from the Savanna School District and then sublease the buildings and grounds to The 1 Golf Co. Stanton has leased the former elementary school from the district since 1984. It was used as Stanton's City Hall until the opening of the new Civic Center in July 1993, after which the 1 Golf Co. approached the city about the site. Superintendent Thomas Halvorsen said he anticipates contraction to begin in late spring, and the business to be open by summer. "We look forward to this activity for our community," he said. The golf practice center should include a driving range, putting course, pro shop and food sales. Terms of the sublease include that the center provide assistance and support for community events, give preference to Stanton residents for employment as far as is legal, and include the name Mary Perez as a prominent feature of the facility. Perez was a custodian in the district for 42 years' and was the first non-teaching employee in the state to have a school named after her in 1967. The anticipated annual income for Stanton is $60,000, beginning the first year the golf center is in business.